During a panel discussion in Parliament on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi spoke extensively about his speech in London. The BJP had accused him of insulting the nation by raising concerns about the state of democracy abroad. However, Gandhi claimed that he had just questioned India’s democracy and could not be considered as “anti-national.” He further stated that he did not invite any other countries to intervene at a Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting presided over by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The meeting’s purpose was to discuss India’s G20 presidency, and S. Jaishankar, the minister of foreign affairs, also attended. Mr. Jaishankar gave the committee members a thorough overview of the G20 chairmanship at the beginning of the meeting. However, when an MP brought up the subject of political leaders trying to gain favor by promoting Indian democracy abroad, Rahul Gandhi remained silent during the opening round but later responded and gave replies.
BJP MPs responded to statements made by Mr. Gandhi by claiming that this was not the appropriate forum to speak on this subject. While many opposition MPs supported Mr. Gandhi’s right to clarify or defend himself, only a few other MPs in attendance at the meeting agreed with the point made by the BJP MP.
Some BJP MPs reportedly stated that the emergency was the largest stain on India’s democracy and that certain people were attempting to deflect attention from India’s G20 chairmanship. Rahul Gandhi was prevented by Mr. Jaishankar from responding to these statements during the heated debate and was instructed to make these remarks in front of the House. He instructed Mr. Gandhi to limit his remarks to the committee’s subject and to avoid discussing politics. Overall, the dispute between BJP MPs and Rahul Gandhi took place during a Parliament panel meet where they discussed India’s G20 presidency.
